Intelligence Report: Acquitted militia member asking for his guns back

In this Intelligence Report: The government took Tom Piatek's guns and he wants them back.

Piatek is a Whiting, Indiana, man who was acquitted last month in the Hutaree militia case and released. Now, Piatek is back home in Indiana, but the authorities in Michigan still have his guns.

Piatek has his freedom back. Now he wants his rifles and pistols, his ammo, the machete and a samurai sword. Piatek's arsenal was seized by the same government that he was accused of wanting to overthrow.

And now that a judge has acquitted him and his hetaera comrades, Piatek's attorney has filed a motion to have his property returned.

The property that Piatek wants back includes guns, ammo and all of his commando accoutrements that were used in this militia field training.

Federal authorities had charged Piatek and eight other Hutaree members with preparing to overthrow the government in a bloody war using weapons of mass destruction.

Two years ago federal agents swarmed Piatek's home in Whiting and carted away a small arms depot: 46 guns, 13,000 rounds of ammo, knives and swords, and a book by Adolf Hitler were among Piatek's possessions taken by the government.

Everything listed in the FBI inventory Piatek wants returned, because he was cleared of all charges, including the allegation that he was among those plotting a war on America.

While Piatek has returned to his Calumet Avenue home, his brother and roommate told the I-Team that Piatek didn't want to speak publicly about the ordeal that saw him held without bond for nearly two years.

It isn't clear when the guns will be given back, although Piatek is demanding for their immediate return. According to one court filing Thursday, the FBI is still cataloguing the evidence, even though it has been 24 months and the case fell apart two weeks ago.

While Piatek's guns were apparently all legal with proper paperwork, some weapons owned by other Hutaree defendants will not be returned because they were unauthorized, fully automatic machine guns.